Only allow access to a site when referred from a specific site

Question about htaccess and referring

[magicsloth]

I have searched for this and similiar topics here and elsewhere, but my searchfu might not be very good and I apologize if it has been covered.

Is it possible to tell Apache to only allow access to files on a webserver (through <Directory> for instance) but only when they are referred by another specific site (preferably by IP in this case). I have an idea how to block access from outside sites, but not how to do this. Also, I am worried about whether this will prevent some users from accessing the content if they have a personal firewall that blocks referrals.

If there was a way for one Apache server to tell another "Hey, this guy is authenticated so let him in." it would probably be just as good.

[jdMorgan]

magicsloth,

Welcome to WebmasterWorld!

Access control by referrer is notoriously unreliable, but should you decide to pursue this, one of these threads [google.com] might help.

Jim

[magicsloth]

jdMorgan,

Thank you for the help. I am just looking for options at the moment. I need some method of taking an Apache server that is preconfigured for a proprietary system and sharing authentication with a second server. Since I am limited with what changes I can make with the first server my options are limited.

This is a great resource by the way. It will be on my list of daily reads from now on.